The Spaniard Ayoub Ghadfa fell in the +92 kilogram final against the Uzbek Bahodir Jalolov by unanimous decision and had to settle for the silver medal in the Olympics.
Ayoub Ghadfa had the opportunity to become the first Spanish boxer to win an Olympic gold medal in history. However, the last obstacle on his way to the gold medal was the Uzbek giant Bakhodir Jalolov, reigning champion after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. A wall that the Marbella native has not managed to knock down: the Uzbek has reclaimed the title by unanimous decision.
Ghadfa has fought in a luxurious setting: the Roland-Garros stadium that has given so much joy to Spanish sport and where the Marbella boxer got through to the final after defeat Frenchman Djamili-Dini Abodou by unanimous decision of the judges.
However, the Marbella native returns to Spain with a very meritorious medal after the one achieved by another Spanish boxer, Emmanuel Reyes, who won the medal of Bronze in the -92kg category.
The other Spanish boxers who have managed to come back from a few Olympics With a medal hanging around their necks have been Enrique Rodríguez (bronze in Munich 1972, minimum flyweight), Rafa Lozano (bronze in Atlanta 1996 and silver in Sydney 2000, both in minimum flyweight) and Faustino Reyes (silver in Barcelona 1992, flyweight).
Two protection accounts
Spain continues to elude Olympic gold in boxing, a goal it has never failed to achieve, although in Paris it was able to break a 24-year streak without a medal, after Rafa Lozano’s silver in Sydney 2000, which his pupil equalled this Saturday at Roland Garros.
A fight in the Philippe-Chatrier in which Ayoub faced the most difficult challenge of the Games, an imposing Jalolov in the ring and with a straight right that the Spaniard tried to avoid at all costs, but as soon as he lost the freshness of his legs to get out of the distance, two powerful hands came to him.
Two protection counts, with ten seconds left in the first round and another after the bell rang, caused Ayoub’s legs to weaken and he was close to falling. He didn’t fall, but his chances of winning gold did. A clear 5-0, with one of the judges giving only eight points to the Spaniard compared to ten to the Uzbek.
The minute of rest allowed Ayoub to regain his strength, but he was unable to find a way to hurt Jalolov beyond straight hands to the body, which, however, did not affect the Uzbek’s physique.
Ayoub also lost clearly in the second round and in the last, with the fight already lost, he went forward, but did not take unnecessary risks in a fight that got away from him in the first round.
However, the Marbella native leaves Paris with a silver medal around his neck and as the best boxer of the expedition of six boxers qualified for the Olympic Games.
Ayoub suffered bullying
Ayoub did not have an easy childhood. He was bullied at school: many of his classmates at the time teased the Olympic medallist for his physique and his roots, as his family emigrated from Morocco to Malaga in search of a better life. That’s why Ghadfa decided, at first, to sign up for kickboxing… and the rest is history.
Ghadfa recalled the hard road she had to go through to reach the Olympic podium after years of suffering bullying at school and fighting against racism: “I encourage all the kids, those who suffer, those who don’t suffer… to fight for their dreams. Let no one stop them, it’s simply one against oneself. Go for it and dreams come true,” she said on SER.
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